Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 24 The Fourth Prince Goes to Sea, Imitating Zhu Di's Second Prince
The words from the heavens urged the second prince to leave the palace immediately and head straight for the third prince's residence.

Although the sky revealed the moment he ascended the throne.

But now he wanted nothing more than to give Tianmu a good scolding.

Why do you tell everything to others?

He must now make a trip to the Third Prince's residence.

Otherwise, something terrible could happen.

However, the thought that he eventually became emperor made Zhu Gaoxu burst out laughing.

Especially since it was the old man's own will.

What does this mean?
The old man believed him.

"Dad, I knew it! You also think I'd do just as well as you if I became emperor, hahaha!"

Zhu Gaochi's honor guard marched through the streets, and his already good mood was further enhanced by the constant murmurs of the common people.

"This man looks like Zhu Gaochi, the Prince of Han, our future emperor!"

Zhu Gaoxu stood up abruptly, took out a handful of gold beans from his inner pocket, and scattered them directly on the street!

They soon arrived at the Prince Zhao's residence.

After entering, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly felt a little guilty.

He looked around and breathed a sigh of relief when he found no one was there.

Then they headed towards where the third brother practiced martial arts.

As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw that the third brother, Zhu Gaosui, seemed to have been waiting for him for a long time.

Although somewhat embarrassed, Zhu Gaoxu slowly stepped forward, intending to pat Zhu Gaosui on the shoulder.

However, he was easily overtaken, and before Zhu Gaoxu could react, the third brother punched him in the stomach.

A severe wave of nausea and pain washed over Zhu Gaoxu, who couldn't help but bend over.

Zhu Gaosui circled around him, angrily pointing at the second son, and shouted, "You ungrateful wretch! No wonder everyone says you're like your father; you really know how to screw me over!"

"I never imagined you'd try to kill me!"

As he spoke, Zhu Gaosui kicked Zhu Gaoxu again, not giving him a chance to speak at all.

Zhu Gaoxu held back and continued, "Third brother, let me explain!"

"Explain?" Zhu Gaosui, enraged, grabbed Zhu Gaoxu and threw him to the ground. "I'll explain to your grandmother!"

Seeing that the third brother was relentless, Zhu Gaoxu became completely angry and immediately retaliated.

"My maternal grandmother is your maternal grandmother, my maternal grandmother is your maternal grandmother!"

The two then began to fight.

Zhu Di was filled with remorse.

The fourth son hadn't made any mistakes; in fact, he had been following his father's dying wish all along, yet he ended up like this.

Zhu Di realized that his second son was now determined to eliminate anyone who could threaten his throne.

The eldest and third brothers have already been killed.

The fourth brother wasn't his biological brother, so of course he wouldn't let him go.

If what Zhu Di said is true.

"After dealing with Zhu Gaosui, Zhu Gaoxu's next target was Zhu Gaoshuo."

"Originally, Zhu Gaoxu did not care much about Zhu Gaoshuo, but during this ascension to the throne, he finally realized how terrifying his fourth brother was."

"No wonder Zhu Di told him not to make things difficult for his fourth son in the future, and to find a place for Zhu Gaoshuo to take up his fief."

"Of course, Zhu Gaoxu would not allow anyone who could threaten his throne to exist, but when Zhu Gaoxu arrived at the Prince Qi's residence, he found that Zhu Gaoshuo had already disappeared without a trace!"

Where is the fourth brother?
Zhu Di was greatly surprised, but he quickly figured it out.

With the fourth brother's intelligence, how could he not know that the second brother was planning to make a move?

But where exactly is the fourth prince going? [“Zhu Gaoxu dispatched all his Imperial Guards, only to discover that Zhu Gaoshuo had actually gone to sea with Zheng He’s fleet.”]

Set sail?
Zhu Di felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.

"The fourth brother survived after all!"

Breathe a long sigh of relief.

Zhu Di suddenly realized that Zhu Gaoshuo was indeed very clever, as he had actually thought of escaping to the sea.

After Zheng He's fleet set sail, it would take at least three to five years for it to return.

Moreover, Zhu Di was well aware that there was still land on the other side of the sea.

There, the fourth brother can start over with a new identity.

It's almost impossible for the second son to find the fourth son.

"It seems that the fourth brother will be living at sea for a long time to come."

Zhu Di chuckled lightly. Although he had left the Ming Dynasty and would have to live a lonely and impoverished life in that place, he knew he was no longer a part of it.

But at least they're still alive, which is a good outcome compared to the eldest and third sons.

"The fourth brother will probably never come back in this lifetime."

However, now that the fourth brother is gone, how can the second brother in the court keep Yang Shiqi and his ilk in check?

Zhu Di was puzzled, but he soon found out.

"Zhu Gaoshuo's escape enraged Zhu Gaoxu. He felt that the news of his plan to kill the fourth prince could not have been exposed so easily; someone in the court must have informed him!"

"Zhu Gaoxu thought of the three Yangs in the cabinet; it must have been the three Yangs who leaked the information."

"Finally, Zhu Gaoxu seized the opportunity to dismiss Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Yang Pu from their official posts and send them back to their hometowns. Not only that, Zhu Gaoxu also suppressed civil officials and promoted military generals in the court!"

"Here's another question for everyone, Teacher Wang: Why has China consistently revered civil officials for nearly a thousand years, seemingly diminishing the importance of military generals throughout history?"

"Has that second son gone mad?!"

Zhu Di, who had initially trusted the Prince of Han, immediately realized upon seeing this series of actions that his second son was incapable of becoming emperor.

Yang Shiqi found the last sentence interesting.

Although he was a civil official and disliked military generals, he had never thought about this issue.

Perhaps the answer to this question can also be found in Prince Qi.

"After the three Yangs of the cabinet were dealt with, the entire Ming court became Zhu Gaochi's one-man show, and no one else had the ability to oppose him."

"Zhu Gaoxu truly deserves to be the successor handpicked by the Yongle Emperor. After taking control of the court, his first act was to personally lead an expedition. Zhu Di had reached the Onon River, but he intended to conquer even further!"

"Due to his heavy reliance on military generals, Zhu Gaochi's prestige in the army at this time far surpassed that of the Yongle Emperor. All the soldiers were in high spirits and determined to make new contributions to the new dynasty!"

"In the end, Zhu Gaochi mobilized an army of 500,000, marching north towards the Mongolian grasslands. Since his eldest son, Zhu Zhanhe, died of illness, his second son, Zhu Zhanqi, also bravely went on the northern expedition, leaving his third son, Zhu Zhantan, to oversee the state!"

Regent?

Zhu Di was so angry he was almost delirious.

That little rascal, the second son, is clearly imitating him.

But to be regent is such a weighty responsibility.

His power far exceeded that of the crown prince.

He initially appointed his eldest son, Zhu Gaochi, as regent entirely because Zhu Gaochi possessed such abilities, and many ministers in the court admired Zhu Gaochi's benevolence and righteousness.

Moreover, the eldest brother has no possibility of rebelling.

After all, the eldest son is the crown prince, so there's no need for him to rebel.

But now, Zhu Gaoxu has appointed his third son to oversee the country.

Enraged and unable to vent his anger, Zhu Di stood up, pointed at Yang Shiqi, and cursed, "Do you think the Second Prince has gone mad? Since he chose to personally lead the expedition, why didn't he leave you, this old bastard, to assist in governing?"

"That little brat is infuriating! Tomorrow he'll be kicked off his position as regent!"

(End of this chapter)